Stolen Fires and Knobby Tires

Hello! This is the long-awaited-no-wifi-in-the-state-of-Pennsylvania-first adventure blog. After spending a few nights in Hawley, PA, I decided to go camp at Trough Creek State Park. This park is very close to the Raystown Lake Allegrippis Trail System and is just a bit cheaper than staying at the Raystown Lake campsite.

As you can see from this picture the first night at the campsite was very crowded. Actually there were two other campsites occupied with trailers considering I was the only one crazy enough to tent camp in 30 degree weather. Conservative talk radio was bellowing throughout the site while I pitched the tent, so I felt right at home. Trough Creek has some great trails to hike and some picturesque landscapes. I did not get to explore the whole park, but what I did see was well worth the short hike. On the way up to 'Balanced Rock' you can find the 'Rainbow Falls'.

(The Rock is literally teetering on the edge of a cliff so I couldn't get a shot from the other side.)

The first night was lonely as well as frigid, however thinking about the trails I would soon ride and having this song stuck in my head (thanks Mike) made those dark hours bearable. When the sun rose, I made some coffee, ate a couple granola bars, and set out on the journey to ride these trails. It was about 50 degrees and overcast when I arrived at the trailhead, so I sat there for a few minutes while some raindrops drizzled onto my windshield contemplating moving from the driver's seat. Finally, I begrudgingly began to assemble my mountain cycle when a truck rolled up with a niner-wheel visible through the window. The driver, Kurt, had never ridden Raystown either so we decided to tackle the trail system together. The noises of my Karate Monkey's bent rotor and Kurt's loose hub on his Rumblefish could scarcely be heard over the crunching of the leaves and frequent "Woo-Hoo!" These trails are east-coast heaven. If you like rigid bikes, they're perfect, if full suspension is your forte, you're in luck, if you don't like to ride bicycles, then go take a hike on these trails and check out the amazing views of Raystown Lake. Riding with Kurt made the memory of the miserable last night vanish. Meeting someone and sharing an experience like that is indeed the purpose of this purpose-less trip.

--Interlude with Moses! (Mike's Dog)--

Later that evening when I expected to arrive back at the desolate campsite and listen to Glenn Beck with the cast from Deliverance, I was greeted by some fellow crazy tent campers at the site next-door. Randy and Kelly are some of the nicest and most fun people I've ever met. They immediately greeted me with a 'Lemon Drop' which turned into several, and simply put, we had a kick-ass time chilling at the campsite. The title of this blog entry alludes to theft involving fire, which I will now explain. Randy had seen a huge pile of wood on his way into the site. Technically a camper has to pay three bucks for a "bundle" of logs (which means four split pieces of wood), however with Randy's insight about the whereabouts of this secret stash, we were able to drive up and help ourselves (scramble under the gate) to some real logs, so we could have a real fire.

I'm writing now from Chesterton, Indiana, (I drove through Ohio today, it was very flat.) and if all 15 hours of driving go well tomorrow, I'll be writing from Boulder, Colorado.

Peace, Love, and Heavy Metal,

J